Talks End on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Without Significant Progress

 Aljazeera published on 25 September 2023 an article titled "Second Round of Negotiations on Ethiopia's Mega-dam Wrap Up."

Two days of talks in Addis Ababa involving representatives from Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan ended without making significant progress according to Egypt and with Ethiopia pledging to continue talks "in good faith."  

Comment:  After four seasonal  annual fillings, Ethiopia completed filling the reservoir behind the dam this year.  During this period, there was no apparent harm done to downstream Sudan and Egypt as a result of withholding Blue Nile water in the reservoir.  The river is now flowing normally again through and over the hydropower dam, which is not diverting water for irrigation purposes.   

Rebalancing US Policy in Somalia

 The International Crisis Group (ICG) published on 27 June 2023 a lengthy analysis titled "Out of the Box: How to Rebalance U.S. Somalia Policy."

The ICG argues that the United States should rebalance its policy in Somalia by increasing stabilization assistance and more effectively help Somalia address political rifts impeding conflict resolution.  The ICG also suggests Washington should prepare for the possibility of negotiations between Mogadishu and al-Shabaab.